Denver cop Cliff Janeway probably knows as much about books as he does about crime; knows how easy it is to hide away valuable works in otherwise ordinary book collections. Mind you, it isn't easy to find them, though some people do have an extraordinary knack of ferreting them out. Book scouts like Bobby Westfall, whose eagle eye could pick out a treasure in a room full of dross. But Bobby is dead, murdered, his body dumped under a ladder in a dark alley on Friday the thirteenth. Not a good end for a superstitious man.

Janeway is sure he knows who did it: Jacky Newton, who is suspected of a string of killings on both the East and West Coasts. Janeway nearly had him once but his key witness got scared and newton was off the hook. He is determined Newton will not escape a second time. But Cliff is in for some startling surprises before he gets the proof he needs - surprises that will affect his personal and professional lives in profound and shocking ways.